Tag Archives: Focus

Lazy piece of shit checking into his derelict blog. Just give me a second to scrape the mold off my computer screen and remove at least one of the boards from the window.

I have been listening to a bunch of new music but I’ve been too lazy/busy/apathetic to write about it. Instead I’m going to list all of the new albums I’ve bought in the last month or so and summarize them in three words or less.

You can find all of those albums on Bandcamp so check ’em out if you want.

Saw Cavern at the Bovine on Saturday night. It was a nice treat to see a smaller band that I had written about getting up to the great northern yonder to play a show. They fucking killed it and you should go check out their most recent album for more heavy jams.

I also saw Baby Driver over the weekend which was quite entertaining as long as you didn’t think too hard about it. It’s a very unique interpretation of a movie musical and the only reason I wanted to mention it here is because one of the main action sequences is set to “Hocus Pocus” by Focus. The rest of the soundtrack was just as stellar.

Lastly! You know how when you’re little and all the “adult” things like coffee and beer taste like absolute horseshit to your virgin tongue? Well I’ve found my ears have kind of done the same thing as I’ve gotten older. Several years ago I didn’t enjoy or respect some of the older metal luminaries, like High On Fire but now I can’t get enough.

Like goddammit, these fucking riffs. WHAT THE FUCK WAS WRONG WITH ME!?

Alright. I know Focus can be considered classic rock, but I don’t really much care because this song is epic.

So the first time I heard this tune I was driving a tractor. No seriously, I was out raking hay and listening to the local rock station. It was a lunchtime request section and another farmer, who was also driving his tractor, called in and requested this. At first I had no idea what to expect but than the first riff dropped and it all made sense.

Focus are a moderately successful prog rock band from the Netherlands. Formed in the ’70’s by classically trained flutist Thijs van Leer, they brought a good deal of classical influence along with some odd instrument choices and yodeling.

The thing that sets Hocus Pocus apart is that no other song they recorded sounds remotely similar to the musical insanity you get from Hocus Pocus. First that catchy riff hits and gives you an idea of things to come, then it starts to pick up and you start thinking, “Hey this is pretty average”, and then the yodeling starts. It’s all downhill from there. Drum, flute, guitar, bass, organ, yodel solos all glued together by that one infectious riff.

One of my favorite songs of all time and one of the most awesome songs of all time. Give’r a listen.